Birefringence is the optical property of a material having a refractive index that depends on the polarization and propagation direction of light. Certain crystalline materials may have different indices of refraction associated with different crystallographic directions. The birefringence is often quantified as the maximum difference between refractive indices exhibited by the material.
Birefringent materials are used widely in optics to produce polarizing prisms and retarder plates. Such materials are also used in liquid crystal displays, light modulators, spectral filters, and medical diagnostics (e.g., cross-polarizing filters for microscopes).
The present direction is directed to new materials for use in these applications, and methods of making the same.